Behavioral health and developmentĪ 14-month-old is a study in stubbornness. She is trying hard to make you understand what she wants.Įxpect her to repeat many words she hears even though she doesn't know their meaning (so starting now, you need to watch what you say!). Or she'll point to a CD that she would like to hear. She'll bring you her jacket to let you know she wants to go outside. Now that your toddler can indicate her needs with actions and some words, expect her to use "tools" such as gestures to help her communicate. And don't rush her when she's trying to use words – listen patiently and look her in the eye. Maintain eye contact when you talk to her so she learns to listen to you. When talking to your child, vary your tone, facial expressions, and hand gestures, all of which will help her understand the meaning of your words. If your 14-month-old isn't speaking many words at this point, you can help her with the other two elements of language acquisition. If your 14-month-old is already speaking several words, encourage her willingness to repeat after you by singing repetitive songs, such as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." As she becomes familiar with the refrains, she'll chime in one word at a time, and before you know it she'll be singing the whole song right along with you. Rhymes, jingles, and silly songs are big hits with toddlers. Once she can say "dog," for instance, she'll look for dogs everywhere – in books, outside, in videos – just so she can point and say the word over and over again. Her spoken vocabulary likely consists of about three to five words, typically "Mama," "Dada," and one other simple word – such as "ball" or "dog" – but she learns the meaning of new words every day.Īs she starts to add words to her vocabulary, you'll notice she looks for opportunities to practice them. Practice falling: Set up a "pillow jump" with a pile of soft pillows that she can toddle up to and fall into (do it yourself a few times to show her how – she'll probably find this hilarious) as she gets more confident, she'll soon be running up and hurling herself into the pile.Īt 14 months, your toddler understands many more words than she can say. If you lay pillows on each side of the bridge, even falling will be fun. Putting one foot in front of the other helps her perfect her balance. Hold your child's hand as she walks across the bridge. You can use small, rectangular boxes pushed together, or a smooth piece of wood or plastic. These kinds of play are all part of your child's need to explore the physical world, including the objects and people in it. And back-and-forth play like rolling a ball also helps build language and social skills.īridge walking: If your toddler is walking with ease and has started trying to climb, set up a "bridge" for her to explore. Rolling and catching are fairly complex skills, so don't worry if your child can't quite coordinate them yet. Sit on the floor directly across from her. Playing ball: Your toddler may be coordinated enough to roll a ball to you, and may try to grab it when you roll it back to her.
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